AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR RAIL USERS No 151 £2 April 2017 Challenger to the Forth Bridge Picture: BARRIE FORREST SEE PAGE 2 PAGE ONE PICTURE: The Forth rail bridge is now joined by two road bridges By Ray King expensive, infrequent and did Expanding the railway at last The Forth rail bridge has been not go near where she wanted to doing sterling service for 127 travel. They do not run closely to By Chris Austin years. Now it has another their printed timetables and there [email protected] upstream rival. is no “next bus” app to check Campaigners for new stations and lines have seen it all over The first Forth road bridge was real-time running. The 30-minute the years – frustration, heartache opened in 1964 but structural Sunday frequency is inadequate, and some successes. problems became apparent in the one door for entry and exit 2005. Picture: BARRIE FORREST causes delay and frustration. Indeed, some campaigns have been running for almost half a Construction of the new Queens- Most people pay by cash and the century, such as East West Rail. ferry bridge began in 2011 and it £2.35 basic ticket (more expen- will open in May 2017 to carry sive than the Subway) means Over time, reactions from the the M90 motorway. passengers are fumbling for the rail industry and Government The 1.7 mile structure is the lon- right money. have been mixed, with active co- gest three-tower cable-stayed Day tickets are not interchange- operation from local authorities bridge in the world and has cost able between First Bus and or passenger transport execu- tives in the good times, but an £1.35 billion. McGill even though they run vir- TV VIDEO AERIAL and Picture: NETWORK RAIL tually the same routes. outright refusal to contemplate About 2.5 miles of new connect- any expansion in bad. ing roads have been built, includ- Some good news for Scotland The problems have been many, ing new and upgraded junctions The new Queensferry road bridge over the Firth of Forth n Work started in January on elec- at Ferrytoll in Fife, South Queens- but over all there has been uncer- trifying the Shotts line between tainty, and moving goal posts. ferry and Junction 1A on the M9. costing £1.35 billion, £200 million in the Gorbals could serve new Holytown and Midcalder junc- Now, we are doing something However the new road bridge cannot be found for the Glasgow housing, Glasgow College’s tions, which will allow another about it, and doing so in con- is unlikely to solve Scotland’s Crossrail project. southern campus and could even Edinburgh-Glasgow electrified transport problems, reduce air junction with the Campaign for Crossrail would be a signifi- interchange with the Subway. A service in 2019. MANCHESTER: A crucial step in improving northern England’s rail network was achieved in pollution, even though the 1964 cant addition to rail services in more vigorous promotion of the Better Transport and the Depart- February when this structure for the Ordsall Curve was lifted into place. It will link Manchester’s n Kilmarnock Station Railway bridge is being retained as a pub- Glasgow by linking the north powerful economic, social, envi- ment for Transport as well. main stations. Network Rail said it is also Britain’s first asymmetrical network arch railway bridge lic transport link and for cyclists and south of the city, as well as ronmental and accessibility ben- Heritage Trust received funding Initial meetings last year recog- and pedestrians. benefiting the rest of Scotland. It efits of Crossrail is essential. from the Railway Heritage Trust nised that a number of schemes to build support for it. Then there for example, will want to know the network is welcome and it Although ScotRail does a good would also provide a new station One newcomer to the city accus- and the East Ayrshire Council’s for new or reopened stations and are some valuable tips on sources what the project does to support should help us in defining the job in Glasgow, the city is a long at Glasgow Cross, on the eastern tomed to the good public trans- Renewable Energy Fund, allow- lines were likely to be worth- of funding, and how projects can or expand the local economy. worthwhile cases to get behind way from having a good, inte- edge of the city centre, and allow port in London was scathing ing it to invest around £500,000 while. The problem for Govern- be delivered. For example, the objective may and push. grated, public transport system. integration with the Argyle line about Glasgow’s public trans- in the station’s restoration. ment and the industry was that We all know that just because a be to support National Health Case studies are included, both While the Forth road bridge is and the Subway. A new station port. She said the buses were See also pages 6 and 13 there was a multitude of ideas railway or station used to exist Service policy by providing rea- of projects that succeeded and and no chance of having the time is no good reason to seek its sonable access to a regional hos- those that did not, with reasons or the resources to evaluate all of reopening as part of the national pital, or to enable housing devel- why they could not go forward. them. network. opment in an area where the road Advice is available to Railfu- Rail revolt in Pontefract It was agreed that a guide to There has to be a strong busi- network is already at capacity. ture branches via the infrastruc- The Yorkshire town of group, said: “I have been a reopening schemes would be ness case to justify it and, more Of particular value is that the ture and networks group along Pontefract has three rail daily commuter for 30 years in helpful in providing advice for than that, we have to be able to guide has been compiled by with the new guidance, and stations but there is growing London and Bedfordshire as campaigners and for sponsors demonstrate that the problem or experienced campaigners work- workshops can be arranged for dissatisfaction that it is not well as West Yorkshire. such as local authorities and opportunity is best met by a rail ing alongside the Department. branches if required. developers. solution, given the cost of rail- adequately served. “I often travel by train to This implies support from Gov- Railfuture members and way infrastructure and rolling Following a public meeting in business meetings around the Picture: PETER COOKSON Expanding the Railway; how to ernment for well thought-out branches will find it both useful stock. the autumn, Pontefract Civic country as well as using them develop and deliver a proposal is the projects for which there is a busi- as a campaigning checklist, and Society formed the dedicated for fun activities and day trips. result, and is available to down- Increasingly, we have to think ness case and where funding can also in terms of the sort of data Pontefract and District Rail I hope to bring my experiences load from the Railfuture website. of the issue not so much from a be raised. required and the way to demon- sub-group to focus on the of rail use to this group and This practical guide gives advice rail point of view, but in terms The commitment it shows to a strate the value of the project to opportunities for improving I am looking forward to on identifying a project, how to of overall economic benefit. The continuously developing rail- those with the financial or politi- both stations and services engaging with others and the develop a business case, and how local enterprise partnership, way with more access points to cal ability to make it happen. which run through the district. local community to bring better “Of all the principal towns of accessibility, infrastructure Cheshire towns and villages fight to get the benefits of rail again West Yorkshire, Pontefract is and rail services to Pontefract. By Stephen Dent Trafford. The biggest change from previous from Altrincham, Hale, Knutsford and the most irrationally served “The society believes it is not Pontefract Monkhill station with two Grand Central trains by rail,” said Peter Cookson, ideal that people of the area [email protected] thinking is the inclusion of a new station Northwich will get a direct rail link to president of the civic society cannot directly connect by the North to put such Pontefract with Doncaster. The long-running battle to reopen the at Gadbrook Park. This is in addition Crewe, enabling them to connect to services and chair of the rail sub-group. rail more frequently to places improvements into its strategic There are only two trains a day Sandbach-Northwich line to passengers to the long-standing proposal to reopen which reach all parts of the country and such as Huddersfield, Lincoln, transport plan. We also hope to Goole and none to Hull. has taken a new turn. Middlewich station. Middlewich, with a in future to connect to High Speed Two. “Connectivity is poor and there population of 13,600, is the largest town in People from Middlewich should be able to are no fully usable services Scarborough and the Peak that the successful bid for the A new organisation called the Mid District. Pontefract Tanshelf use has Cheshire without a railway station. More travel to Crewe, Manchester and any of the passing through the town. East Midlands franchise will gone down from 48,000 in Cheshire Rail Link Campaign has include an hourly Leicester emerged.